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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

It's no secret that I love tarts. Obviously with a nickname like Tartelette. Oh you thought it was just the name of this site didn't you? Well, not entirely. My family gave me the moniker of Tartelette when my age was still in the single digit category. I love tarts. Sweet or savory. Square or round. Rectangular or triangular (have yet to make that one!). The sky is the limit when you make a tart. I just happen to like them all...

And it really bugs me that I can't register the domain "tartelette" but have to put "my" in front because someone grabbed it already (and is just sitting on it). This is not "my tartelette" ya'll, it's yours, it's everybody's. It's a place to come satisfy all your senses, your eyes, your tastebuds, your brain. Read a little, smile a lot. I don't know. I hope it feels as much of an open invitation to come sit at my table as I hope to convey.

That's probably why we love to have friends come visit. Stay for a while or just in passing. We live in such a gorgeous city. We love to walk the old cobblestone streets with them, have dinner on the patio or go to the dock to get some crabs for dinner. You can't help being in a good mood with all this sun year round and beauty of the city. We may not have all the stores and convenience of a big city but we are truly spoiled by the richness of the history and the spirit of the people.

I think Tami felt that when she visited us a couple of weeks ago. She came to relax after some grueling days at work and we had also made plans to contribute on a project together. I'd say our friends have varied personalities and lives but one common trait is that they all love food and they all love to eat good food. So you can bet that in the midst of working hard and playing harder, Tami and I made sure to eat fresh and satisfying foods to keep us going.

She came at the right time too! I had just made a couple of batches of gluten free puff pastry, to find the combination of flours we liked best and to make sure that the results were consistent each time. I had plenty of leftover dough but no real desire for anything sweet. I ended up blind baking and freezing three tart shells instead. At least, if I did not use them right then and there, I'd have them ready to whip up a quick quiche or tart for a light lunch or an impromptu gathering.

Tami and I shared a tart filled with a light custard filling and topped with fresh dandelion greens (she's hand modeling for me too!, heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese. We devoured it. Almost all of it. I saved a couple of slices for B. and he wanted more. He made me promise to make more. Soon. So I did.

The second one I made shortly after was filled with a simple salad of arugula, goat cheese and cherry tomatoes tossed in a simple vinaigrette. Score once again. I literally could have eaten it all by myself but the pleasure of sharing with Bill just to see his face light up as mine did was priceless. Gosh it was good! The world goes rounder with tarts. That is all...

Check out Shauna's Rough Puff Pastry that she just posted here. Such determination...Props:Someone asked me where I found the wooden spoon shown with these cakes. It's a picnic set that my mom got on Sprout Home but Anthropologie announced today they now carried them (price gauging them too).- vintage knives: etsy & antique store- enamel plate & Bowl: Pottery Barn- cutting board: World Market- glasses: Pier 1 (on sale for $1)

Prepare the crust:Preheat oven to 350F.On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick and line it into a 9 or 10-inch round tart pan or rectangular, etc... Place the tart on a baking sheet and line it with a piece of parchment paper on top and fill with dried beans or ceramic weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.

For the filling:In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk until well combined. Add the salt, pepper and mustard and whisk to incorporate. Pour the filling inside the shell and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.Mix all the tomatoes, greens and goat cheese in a large bowl. Toss with as little or as much vinaigrette as you like and spoon the salad on top of the tart. It's ready! C'est pret!

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comments:

This looks heavenly! I am similarly tart obsessed. And I love dandelion greens but have a really hard time finding them for sale here. And way too terrified of pesticides to simply pick them out of other people's yards.

I too love tarts, but I don't make them nearly as well as you, hon. That's why you're Tartelette ;) Tami is a great model. The only way that picture could be better is to see her smiling face. I'm feeling so jazzed about summer and these lovely colors and flavors totally put me in the mood! Can't wait to see you in June xo

Lovely tarts Helene. I had never thought of making the shells and freezing them. Thank you for the idea. I love how you share where you have bought your props. Thank you. We don't have an anthropologie store here and their shipping fees to Australia are crazy, which I dsicovered when I went searching for some of the little custard cups by Samantha Robinson. Who turns out to be Australian, and on checking her website they are setting up for selling online. Hopefully I'll get some then.

I am a new reader of your blog and find myself dreaming of making all of these wonderful recipes!

I am curious if you can recommend a great French cookbook for me. I am a self-taught cook, a newlywed, and a late twenty-something that is still learning how to prepare yummy meals for my husband and friends and family. I am Italian and typically cook traditional meals that I grew up with. I'm looking to expand my horizons into French cuisine!

That's too bad about the domain. Have you tried to contact them? I would think it would be of no value to them now that you have this wonderful popular blog.

I love tarts just like you, but mostly on savory side, so this is MY tart. And, I want to make triangles, because I feed two little twin boys that want everything in either triangles or stars. And, they have very sophisticated taste for not quite three.

What lovely pictures (as always!). I like that tarts are so simple and can be made with almost any ingredients and they will be delicious! I have visited Charleston many times and know that it must be wonderful to live there.

Seems we all have tomato tarts with goat cheese on our minds, must be all the beautiful spring/summer produce that is starting to make appearances at our markets. I love the addition of greens with yours, I will have to try that next time. And what a treat to have Tami with you for a few days of R&R, which involves great food and photographing!

Helen, I love that you have added a prop section, this is a great resource for all of us!

I really feel welcome and at home when I come here, each and every time, I swear!So, if I ever happen to pass by there, I'll make sure to ring the bell and enjoy a bit of your cozy hospitality and, obviously, enjoy a lot of your tarts! :D

Oh my! I do believe that I can smell, as well as taste,these beautiful tarts, just by looking at your breathtaking photos! I have my bag on my shoulder and am counting the minutes until I can scoop up all of these glorious ingredients at my Farmers market! These tarts are beyond fabulous!

Tarts sure do make the world go round. Thanks for sharing these beauties with us. It is always such a treat to step into your world. The colors in these tarts are vibrant and inviting. Both versions sound fantastic! xo

This looks delicious, and the photographs are disgustingly beautiful, as always! I'm looking forward to trying the gluten free puff pastry for my GI sister sometime. THANK YOU for working so hard to perfect it! It astounds me how far GF baking has come in the last few years, with baked goods that look and taste every bit as amazing and their wheaty brethren, all thanks to intrepid cooks like you.

I cooked this on Saturday as a starter for our Labor Day BBQ (May 1st is Labor Day in Italy) and it was just gorgeous! I just added an extra egg yolk (the filling seemed a bit too liquid to me, but maybe I should have been using a larger egg) and garnished with cherry tomatoes dressed with fresh thyme, fleur de sel and olive oil, shredded feta cheese and arugula... sooooo fresh and tasty!Thank you for being such an inspiring source to my kitchen!barbaraT (Rome, Italy)

barbara T: it seems too liquid because it is. It is a thin layer of custard base at the bottom. It's not supposed to be thicker since it ends up cooking. I use large eggs and 3/4 cup of liquid. Trust the power of the eggs.... :)

I'm so glad you've been posted so many delicious gluten free recipes on your site. My mother has celiac, and I know what a challenge it can be! I've passed a number of these along to her, and I know she appreciates it.

Puff pastry is one of my weaknesses, so delicious and satisfying in all forms and sizes! This is a great idea and I will have to find the right moment to share with others, instead of eating it all by myself.

Thanks so much for posting this. I just baked this tart for a mother's day dinner. I used my own recipe for the crust and my own maple syrup vinaigrette. But I followed your recipe for the egg filling and salad, and it was so delicious!

hi helene, i am getting ready to make your macs, the ones we made back in march when you were in LA. Photo question - Do you use a macro lense? I am on the verge of purchasing one. I love your photography. Let's plan a weekend here, in L.A., like you are doing in CO.